THE BOLD trend comes and goes. Each time it comes, it sports a new name--like the so-called ''bomba'' of the late '60s, the ''wet look'' of the early '70s, the ''bold'' of the late '70s, the ECP-sponsored experimental films of the early '80s, the ''pene'' later in the decade, and the ''ST'' of the '90s.

The bold season has blown in again. No new name has been thought up for it yet, but it's much bolder than ever. Before, only the women displayed their voluptuous assets onscreen; these days, some actors let it all hang out, as well.

Incredible answers

It's funny how these boldies rationalize their decision to go totally bold. Here are 10 of their most incredible answers:

Ever since I can remember, this line has been used by all the bold stars who have come and gone. But come to think of it, what does it really mean?

Well, it must mean that Aya Medel and Ynez Veneracion, or Rodel Velayo and Leonardo Litton, are artists who agree to show their total nakedness in front of the camera because of their noble intention to propagate art. It must also mean that the people who go and watch bold movies are art connoisseurs who come out of the theaters marveling at the aesthetic merits of what they've seen.

All the bold stars justify their willingness to take everything off for the camera by claiming they have acting talent which will eventually shine through. Going bold, they assure themselves, is only a phase they have to go through until they finally ''graduate'' to becoming actors and actresses.

They cite the road taken by the likes of Lorna Tolentino, Gina Alajar and Jaclyn Jose, who also disrobed at the early stages of their careers but have gone on to become respected and award-winning film artists. But the funny part is, they easily forget the likes of Sarsi Emmanuelle, Coca Nicolas, Lala Montelibano and Myra Manibog, who, despite their avowed talents, are now largely forgotten.

Yes, bold stars honestly admit that they do it for the money. They have a family to feed and siblings to send to school, etc. For most of them, going bold is their way out of poverty, a ticket to the realization of their modest dreams.

But isn't this funny? Because bus conductors are also breadwinners, so are street sweepers, factory workers, and fish vendors. But they don't see the need to take off their clothes to earn a living!

Of course, the story calls for it because, in the first place, it has been hammered out to revolve around sex themes.

For instance, the movie, "Anakan Mo Ako" was about an impotent man trying out a variety of sexual partners and sexual positions to cure his ailment. A storyline like that is naturally pregnant with sex-y possibilities.

Well, this is the unique character of the present crop of bold movies--they are handled by reputable filmmakers who can not only make bold films, but also defend their work with articulate profundity.

A new bold star recently told me, "Kung bagets movies lang ang uso, Ate Luds, e di doon ako susubok ng kapalaran ko. Pero bold ang uso ngayon at kailangan ko lang makisabay sa uso para sumikat."

Well, I wonder, what she will do if the trend dictates that she shoots herself in the head for her 15 minutes of fame?

A well-endowed bold star boasted to me, "May ipapakita naman ako, Ate Luds. Ang masama siguro ay kung kailangan ko pang magparetoke ng katawan ko para lang dito."

But then, isn't it a fact that more and more bold stars now are unabashedly thanking science for their enhanced assets?

For many years now, local movies have been reeling from the lethal combination of skyrocketing production costs and low box-office receipts. Movie people, therefore, thank the bold trend as the savior of the dying industry.

I often hear them say, "Bold films are the cheapest to produce and the ones that make money, so it's the way to go. We just have to make them of better quality--with topnotch directors, good actors and actresses, better-written scripts, excellent production values."

Well, if you subscribe to this notion, prepare yourself to accept the likes of Joyce Jimenez, Ina Raymundo and Ana Capri as the movie industry's new messiahs!

Maria Clara must indeed be dead. Before, the likes of Polly Cayetano would march to the streets to denounce bold movies. Today, I don't hear even a whimper from the Catholic Women's League or other co-called moral guardians in our midst.

And, quite ironically, the Movie and TV Review and Classification Board, which used to be the biggest, loudest and most powerful crusader against bold movies, is now the unwitting godfather of the bold trend. The board has become quite liberal not just in granting permits for titles like "Warat," "Talong" and "Butakal," but in allowing frontal nudity in our movies as well.

Well, actually, I don't know about that. Because the show biz grapevine is filled with juicy stories about bodies for hire who entered the movies mainly in order to up their market value:

"Before, she was up for only P500. Now, you can still have her, but for nothing less than P20,000."